Home and Garden

I have a lot of houseplants and have had to adjust to the strong sunlight and hard water in Battlement Mesa after moving from Aurora. I have hard water and a water softener, but apparently, it’s not enough. Most of my plants are doing ...

All summer, it hung precariously in the locust tree. Every time I went out on the patio, I cautiously peered skyward, looking for the football-shaped blob partially hidden by the leaves. About 30 feet up into the tree, they made their ...

I just received a mandevilla from a friend for my birthday and I am wondering if I plant it outside, will it be able to live through the winter here? I don’t think I want to try it as a house plant since it is supposed to climb. I know ...

We’ve been inundated by bag worms on our cottonwoods, apple trees and aspens. (They apparently don’t care for the Russian olives that are prevalent out here.) I’ve sprayed but with little result, and frankly, I don’t ...

Oh, glorious squash. Indeed, fall is here when I see bins of winter squash adorning the grocery store entryways. I’ve learned to love winter squash in my adult years by growing it, roasting it and pureeing it into soups, though as a ...

I have a situation in my garden that I’m sure is common to many other gardeners. At the end of the growing season and the beginning of the next season, I add grass clippings and leaves in the garden and till the organic material in. ...

Keeping flowers of some kind blooming all season long is one of the challenges gardeners face. Believe it or not, now is the time to look around and take note of the last ones standing — look for the final bursts of color and pollen of ...

Help! My sorrel plants suddenly have pinkish circles on their leaves, and I’m not sure what’s happening or what I need to do. I’m hoping to be able to save them and not use any chemicals. — Becky (from Florida) It ...

It never fails. Right about the time the lawn turns crunchy with frost in the mornings and the leaves drop from the trees, it looks like someone had a pillow fight in the chicken compound. The hens lose their feathers, one by one, during ...

When is the best time to prune golden vicary privet and bridal wreath spirea? Is it OK to prune them now? — Mary To be honest, the “proper” time to prune isn’t all that important. There are some advantages and some ...